


same heartbeat (falling behind)

by growlery



Series: the sound, the sound, the sound [2]
Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, M/M, Recreational Drug Use, Strained Friendships, Underage Drinking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-19
Updated: 2015-05-19
Packaged: 2018-03-25 20:46:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,662
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3824521
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/growlery/pseuds/growlery
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jasper wants to be popular, Monty’s just trying to get by, and Miller might, possibly, sort of, have a crush.</p>
            </blockquote>





	same heartbeat (falling behind)

**Author's Note:**

> i still don't know what this is, except totally ridiculous. i didn't get in anywhere near enough bellamy/raven in this instalment so there may yet be more?? oh who am i kidding there definitely will be i love high school AUs so much. title is from cool kids by echosmith.

Octavia Blake sits on the edge of Monty’s desk and says, “So this party I’m having,” and, “You’re the guys who grow your own weed, right?”

Jasper’s yes is out of his mouth before Monty even has a second to process what is happening. Monty thinks he probably should’ve taken it more seriously when Jasper said, “This is our year, dude,” but in his defence, they were both pretty baked at the time. Monty’s learnt not to take Jasper too seriously; Jasper does that enough for both of them. 

Monty waits until Octavia has wandered back to the back of the class before hissing, “So we’re just giving it away now? Solid business plan, Jasper, well done.”

“It’s an _exchange_ ,” Jasper says, his eyes alight. “This is high school, social currency is the only currency that matters.”

“I don’t know, I kinda like the idea of not being broke,” Monty says, but Jasper looks so _happy_ , and Monty doesn’t have the heart to tell him that his dreams are doomed. 

*

“Hey nerds,” Murphy says, when he opens the door, “get lost on your way to chess club?”

“Hah,” Jasper says, and holds up a baggie. Murphy’s eyes go appreciatively wide, and he steps aside to let them in without any more – frankly offensively juvenile; is that really the best he can do – insults. 

Monty still doesn’t trust any of this. He’s seen this movie, okay, he knows how this has to end. 

He’s no less suspicious when everyone’s got through all the weed they brought, but it’s sort of dulled by the hazy chemical contentment. (Also the fact that Murphy’s only tried to make fun of them twice, and both times Octavia gave him this _look_ , like Murphy was less than literal scum, and Murphy shut right up.)

Jasper’s in the corner, surrounded by a group of people Monty only vaguely recognises. He’s telling them a story that Monty’s heard a hundred times and that stopped being funny after about the tenth elaborate retelling, but Monty’s never minded hearing it before. 

He looks away. There must be food, somewhere. Monty is hungry. Yeah. Hungry. 

Octavia’s brother is in the kitchen when Monty pushes the door open, and he looks up at Monty and smiles. Bellamy’s a senior, but he runs the history club and hangs out with his little sister’s friends, so Monty feels pretty comfortable plopping into the chair next to him and peering over his shoulder at the book he’s reading. Bellamy glances at him, but he doesn’t say anything except ask if Monty’s done before he turns the page. 

When the door opens a few minutes later, Nathan Miller walks in, and Monty tries not to freeze up. Miller’s got… a reputation. Everyone likes him, but nobody would particularly want to be left in a small, enclosed space with him, even with a Blake for protection. Monty’s not sure he can count on Bellamy being on his side if Miller decides to beat him up. 

“Hey, man,” Miller says, and Bellamy says, “Fuck off, nobody left any weed for me. You’re not getting munchies.”

Miller pouts. 

“I’ve got enough for a joint,” Monty offers. “I was sort of saving it, but.”

Miller looks at him, and Monty has a split-second of absolute terror – why did he say anything why did he make himself a target – before Miller smiles. It’s, wow, it’s really bright, and it makes his face go all warm and soft. Nobody warned Monty about this. 

“Awesome,” Miller says. “It’s Monty, right?”

Bellamy coughs, and Miller sort of glares at him, and Bellamy just smirks back, and Monty doesn’t really know what’s going on, here, but he can go with it. 

“Yeah,” he says. “We’re in the same History class?”

“Mr Kane can go fuck himself,” Miller says, and Bellamy says, “You have _Kane_?” and Miller looks over at Monty and sort of half-rolls his eyes as Bellamy starts in on an obviously well-worn rant. 

Monty ignores his instincts to turn and flee; his hands only shake a little bit as he gets out his rolling papers. Weirder things have happened than him having a moment with Nathan Miller over how much of a nerd Bellamy is. Probably. Somewhere. 

*

Jasper’s sitting with the people he was talking to at the party when Monty gets into school on Monday. 

“You didn’t wait for me,” Monty says, trying for casual, trying not to sound as hurt as he feels. It’s stupid, Jasper is stupid, and Monty is the stupidest of all. He’s _seen_ this movie. 

“Oh, yeah, sorry,” Jasper says, and makes eyebrows at Monty. Monty is fluent in Jasper’s facial expressions, but he still wants to pretend like he doesn’t realise Jasper is trying to get rid of him so he can back to impressing his new friends. 

Monty gets it. Monty’s still a loser. Jasper’s suddenly inexplicably not, and he’s gonna milk it for it’s all worth. 

Monty gets it. That doesn’t make it sting any less. 

They have the same lunch period, and it was definitely naive of Monty to hope that Jasper would have got over himself by then. He finds a free table at the back of the cafeteria, facing away from the one Jasper’s sitting at. He has friends who aren’t Jasper, but Harper’s got lunch next period and Fox’s off sick, and everyone else has their own group that he wouldn’t be _un_ welcome in, but, y’know. 

That should explain his confusion when someone slides into the seat opposite him. Monty looks up and it’s Miller, and that doesn’t make it feel any less surreal. One intoxicated conversation at a party doesn’t make them the sort of people who sit together at lunch, even if it did go on for kind of hours. 

“Uh,” Monty says, “hi?”

“Hey,” Miller says. “Cool if I sit here?”

“Yeah?” There’s not a lot Monty could do if it weren’t, and Miller should know that, but Monty supposes it’s nice of him to pretend. 

“Jasper’s not sitting with you,” Miller says, half a question. 

“Yeah,” Monty repeats, not sure where this is going. 

“Jasper’s a fucknuckle,” Miller says, and Monty doesn’t disagree, but Monty’s also known Jasper since pre-k. 

“Hey,” he says, “he’s _my_ fucknuckle.”

Miller laughs. “You could do better,” he says, and Monty doesn’t know why that makes him feel sort of warm, so he just shrugs. “Hey, you want my potato wedges?”

Monty loves potato wedges. He nods, only a little cautious, and forks over some noodles onto Miller’s plate in exchange. Miller smiles, and Monty’s no more prepared for it now, but he does manage to smile back, this time. 

*

“I made a list,” Harper announces when she meets Monty at his locker at the end of the day, “we are gonna crack Jasper Jordan.”

“Please,” Monty says, “there’s no way he’s Gretchen. He’s like, Cady, maybe, if she were more desperate.”

Harper’s smile pulls down a bit. “Everyone’ll be over him by tomorrow morning,” she promises. “It’ll all go back to normal.”

“Either way,” Monty continues, “that makes us Janis and Damian, which I’m cool with.”

“I’m definitely too gay to function,” Harper says, and Monty’s laughing as he shuts his locker. 

They have to go by the bike sheds to pick up Harper’s bike, and as she’s fiddling with the lock, Monty hears a smattering of laughter and wolf-whistles. He glances over instinctively and Miller is scowling back at him and, oh, great, that’s exactly what this day needed. Lunch was clearly a ploy to lull him into a false sense of security, by way of discussions about music and tv and their shitty, shitty teachers. 

“Hurry up,” Monty hisses, “Miller’s looking at me like he wants to _kill_ me,” and Harper looks up at him and bursts out laughing and won’t tell him why. 

*

Everything is not back to normal in the morning. 

Jasper doesn’t even make eye contact when Monty walks by him and his new group, twice just to make sure, and in Chemistry Jasper asks Mr Wick if he can switch lab partners, waggling his eyebrows at Monty as he goes to sit next to the new girl, Maya. Monty tries to smile back, wondering for a second if he’s the selfish one for begrudging Jasper this. 

( _Just_ a second.)

“You’ll be working with Reyes,” Mr Wick tells Monty, “maybe she’ll blow up fewer test tubes with someone looking over her shoulder.”

“All due respect, _sir_ ,” Raven says, “it’s not my fault your instructions suck,” and Mr Wick just laughs. He’s younger than most of their other teachers, but he doesn’t try the whole I’m Just Like You No Really schtick, which is about the only thing he has going for him, honestly. 

Raven smiles at Monty when he takes the seat next to her. “He’s half right,” she says, “we’re gonna do great things together, Monty.”

Monty smiles back at her, and, well, it could be a lot worse, all things considered. 

They’re arguing about thermodynamics when the bell goes and everyone files out, and it’s just natural for Monty to follow Raven as they talk, all the way down the hall and into the cafeteria where she sits next to Bellamy after they get food. Bellamy bumps her shoulder in greeting, and Raven bumps back, still talking, seeming not to have noticed the way Monty’s hovering at the edge of the table, holding his tray in front of him like a shield. 

“Hey Monroe, budge up,” Octavia says, and a space opens up right in front of Monty. 

“Uh, thanks,” Monty says, and sits, something warm settling firmly in his chest. 

Opposite him, Miller smiles, pushes his wedges towards Monty. They were all out by the time Raven and Monty got there. Monty smiles back, pleased, and offers his jello pot in exchange. 

Then he frowns. It feels like there’s something physically boring a hole in his back. Monty looks around, only to see Jasper’s gaze quickly shifting away. Monty narrows his eyes, the warmth in his chest already evaporating. 

Miller coughs. “Trouble in paradise?”

Monty looks back, surprised, and just shrugs. Jasper’s sort of gossip-worthy now, and this kind of drama is the sort of thing the rumour mill _thrives_ on. He’d like to mope in peace, thank you very much. 

*

Monty sits in a patch of sunshine on the edge of the wall by the bike sheds, basking in the rare warmth as he waits for Harper to get out of class. 

“Uh, hey.” Monty opens his eyes; it’s Miller, lit cigarette dangling from his fingers. 

“Hey,” Monty says, and moves up so Miller can sit in the warmth, too. Their thighs touch; it’s not a very big patch. 

“Mind if I-” Miller waves the cigarette. 

“Go ahead,” Monty says, and smiles, because it’s nice to be asked, even if Miller would probably have just smirked and blown smoke in his face if Monty had said no. 

Except- no. That’s not true. Miller might be scowly and sarcastic and, yeah, a little bit scary, but Monty’s starting to realise the rumours about him are just that – rumours. 

“Want one?” Miller asks, and Monty shakes his head. He doesn’t smoke tobacco, barely puts any in his joints, even. “Smart man.”

Monty smiles, ducks his head, glances away, and that’s when he sees Jasper walking out of school, holding hands with Maya. The smile abruptly disappears off his face. 

“What?” Miller follows the line of his gaze. “Ah.”

“Fucknuckle,” Monty says decisively, “yeah.”

There’s an odd look on Miller’s face when he says, “You’ll get over it,” but Monty appreciates the sentiment anyway. 

*

“So, party at mine this weekend,” Miller says. “You coming?”

“We’re, uh, all out of weed,” Monty says, and tries not to feel weird about the _we_. 

“I wasn’t inviting the weed,” Miller says, like, _duh_ , and it’s not the first time Monty’s thought about kissing him, but it’s the first time it hits him in the chest how much he wants to. 

And that’s… okay. Expected, really. Should’ve seen it coming. He’s seen this movie, too. 

Monty shows up at Miller’s door with Harper and Fox, because Miller said to bring friends, if he wanted, and this time, Monty doesn’t have Jasper by his side to dull the fear of rejection. Not that he thinks Miller would do that to him, not really, but it’s always best to be prepared. 

It doesn’t turn out to be all that helpful, though, when Monty follows Miller into the living room and Jasper is sitting with the girlfriend he didn’t think it was important to tell Monty about. Monty cannot deal with this tonight. He’s known Jasper since _pre-k_ , and apparently that means nothing at all. 

Monty gets very drunk. 

He manages not to embarrass himself too much, he’s pretty sure; he takes a turn on the karaoke machine Clarke drags out, but his rendition of _I Need a Hero_ goes down a storm, even though he fucks up the second verse when he looks over at Jasper and Maya in the corner. 

When he’s done, he throws the mic into Wells’s hand and stumbles out to the garden. He flops down on the grass, staring up at the bright, indifferent moon, muttering to himself about gravity. 

“It’s basic physics,” a familiar voice agrees, and Monty’s head snaps up to see Jasper sitting cross-legged on the ground in front of him. 

“What do _you_ want?”

“Miller found me,” Jasper says, and, “Fuck, dude, I’m so sorry.”

Monty says nothing. 

“I’ve been kind of a dick, haven’t I?”

“Just kind of?”

Jasper bites his lip. “I wasn’t trying to cut you out, I was just- I got carried away. People think I’m cool now, Monty. I’m cool!”

“I always thought you were cool,” Monty says, and the smile disappears off Jasper’s face. “How exactly was you avoiding me at school _not_ you trying to cut me out? You didn’t even tell me you started seeing someone.”

“I realise you have all of the moral high ground, here,” Jasper says, “but, to be fair, you didn’t tell me about Miller, either.”

Monty must still be kind of drunk. “What?”

“Your boyfriend? Tall, wears a beanie a lot, threatened my life if I didn’t fix things with you?”

Monty’s definitely still drunk. His head is spinning. “ _What_?”

“Yeah, I thought it was super romantic too,” Jasper says, quirking a grin at him. “Seems like you’ve done all right for yourself without me.”

His smile gets kind of brittle at that, and Monty says, “Fuck off,” and hugs him, burying his head in Jasper’s neck and squeezing tight. Jasper holds on just as tightly. It’s only been a week, one awful, stupid week, and Monty has missed him so much. 

They go back in together, and Jasper hugs Monty again before he goes off to find Maya. Now that Monty’s not quietly resenting her for taking his place in Jasper’s affections, he can acknowledge that they’re actually pretty cute. He hopes Jasper doesn’t fuck this up. 

He bumps into Miller on his way back to the living room, and Miller steadies him with an arm on his shoulder. Monty leans into it, a little, and feels the loss pretty intensely when Miller lets go. 

“Hey,” Miller says, “where’d you get to?”

“Outside. Jasper found me,” Monty says, and doesn’t know how to make the words for everything else he wants to say. 

Miller visibly droops for a moment, but then he grins wide. “Great,” he says, “glad he finally got his act together. Don’t pine forever, yeah?”

Monty starts to frown, because _what_ , and then, suddenly, everything clicks. 

“I’m not in love with Jasper,” he says, all in a rush, and kisses Miller. Miller flails for just a second, and then he sags into Monty and kisses him back. 

“I _knew it_ ,” Harper says from somewhere behind them, and then, loudly, “everyone here owes me ten bucks!”


End file.
